Nielsen reported that 2.1 million American homes, or 1.8%, were without reception as of the week ending June 21. That's down 400,000 since the transition week. If that rate continues, all homes should be receiving digital signals by early August.
Perhaps because so many people consume video via the Web, the figures show that 4% of homes with residents under 35 are still without reception, compared with less than 1% for those over 55.
The 1.8% total U.S. unpreparedness figure is down from 6.8% in December 2008 and from 4.4% in February, when the switchover was originally scheduled to take place.
In addition, the other analog plug-pulling hard date came and went on the night of July 12 without fanfare. That was the date when all the analog nightlight TV stations, 121 stations in 87 markets at its peak according to the FCC, had to end their analog broadcasts because it would have been illegal to continue past that date.
They had agreed, at the FCC's urging, to continue to broadcast an analog signal for up to 30 days past the statutory June 12 hard date for ending analog broadcasts. That signal was to be a lifeline service of DTV transition info, news and information in the event of emergency.